December
Feature
|
GREAT
GIFT IDEA!
1/2 Price
Special!!
Scanpan 4 Pc
Cookware Set
2 Qt. Covered Saucepan
and
11" Covered Saute Pan
SPECIAL
$169.99
OSV $340.00
Limited time special
offer - while supplies
last!
|
December
Cooking Classes
|
Click to view December Class
Details!Click on the Class Title for complete
details and registration information.
10% discount on merchandise
purchased on the day of class (kitchen electrics
excluded).
Just in
time for the holidays, we've assembled a great schedule of classes
that will be your inspiration for holiday entertaining. Click
on the class title for complete information, then register online,
in the store, or by phone!
December Cooking Classes
 Tue,
Dec 2 - Gifts from Your Kitchen
with Courtney Rathweg (rescheduled from Nov 6th). Space
available.
Harper's Point from 6:30 - 9:00pm. $35
Wed, Dec 3 - Holiday Entertaining with Italian Flair with
Marilyn Harris - Class
Full
Harper's Point from 6:30 -
9:00pm. $65
Fri, Dec 5 - Holiday Cookie Decorating Party with Kara Lough -
Space
available.
Settlers' Walk from
6:30 - 9:00pm. $40
(Also offered Sat, Dec 6 at Settlers'
Walk).
Sat, Dec 6 - Holiday Cookie Decorating Party with Kara
Lough
Settlers' Walk from 11:00am -
1:30pm. $40 Class
Full
(Also offered Fri, Dec 5 at Settlers' Walk).
Winter Class Schedule
- REGISTRATION OPENS
Thursday, December 4 at 7:00pm
The Winter Class
Schedule including classes for January, February,
March, and April has been
published! Check your e-mail, and our website, www.CooksWaresOnLine.com. A gift certificate for a
cooking class makes a great holiday gift! Registration for
2009 classes begins Thursday, Dec., 4th at 7:00pm.
3 Ways to Register: On-Line, In
Store, or by Phone
Harper's Point classes - Call
513-489-6400 Settlers' Walk classes - Call
937-748-4540
Cooking Classes make Great
Gifts!
10% discount on merchandise on
the day you attend class! (excluding kitchen
electrics). |
Ethnic
European Cookie Traditions
|
 Most of us have roots from "some place
else." Our heritage not only defines us genetically, but so
many holiday traditions stem from "where we're from." Our
culinary DNA is strongly evident in the special cookies that make
their appearance during the holiday season. These seasonal
favorites are favorites for good reason! Their popularity goes
beyond delectability, the little, sweet morsels evoke memories of
season's past and the loving hands that created our primal cookie
experiences.
 The beauty of
the melting pot that is America is that it allows us to practice our
own traditions, and to borrow from other traditions - all with great
enjoyment! The list of ethnic cookie favorites is long, but
here are a few from Europe that we think deserve
mention:
Spritz - It's full and proper name
is Spritzgebäck
and sports a German origin, but has become
so ubiquitous that we all
claim a crumb of this tradition. The dough is buttery sweet
and pressed through a cookie press. Each press comes with
several different discs that direct the shape of the dough.
Perfect shapes result in no time with the mechanized press.
Decorate the dough with nonpareils or sanding sugars for added
sparkle.
Krumkake - Norwegian in origin, the
krumkake is a thin crisp cookie
with a sweet, almond flavor. A spoonful of
aromatic batter is placed on a hot krumkake iron; the batter is
pressed and cooked from both the bottom and top imprinting a
delicate folk pattern on the cookie. The golden wafer is
removed from the
iron and immediately rolled on a wooden cone to create a trumpet
shape suitable for filling or eating as is.
 Pizzelle - An Italian favorite,
pizzelle, are similar to krumkake, though different. Pizzelles
are also made from a thin batter and individually cooked with a
special iron. Pizzelles are typically flavored with anise,
sport a distinctive waffle and flower pattern, and are left in a
flat shape.
Rugelach -
Hailing from Eastern Europe, rugelach cookies encase a variety of
nut or fruit fillings in a pastry dough. The pastry may be a
cream cheese dough, or a dough without dairy ingredients. The
rolls of dough might turn into logs for cutting and baking, or might
be flat triangles slathered with filling and rolled into
crescents.
 Linzer - From the cafes
of Vienna come the classic pairing of cinnamon and raspberry.
This flavor combination is behind the famous linzertorte and linzer
cookies alike. One imagines the raspberries picked the
previous summer, transformed into a deep red jam, and lovingly
applied to the best sweets throughout the winter. (See the Linzer
recipe below).
 Springerle - Another favorite with
German origins, the springerle cookie is an artistic creation.
A stiff dough with a distinctive anise flavoring is imprinted with a
pattern from a springerle mold. The springerle molds are quite
detailed and are beautiful in and of themselves. Springerle
dough, made without butter, result in a hard cookie that likes to be
dipped in coffee or tea. Their dry texture also makes them
suitable for turning into tree decorations!
Abelskivers - Danish in origin,
these treats are made from an airy, fluffy batter in an abelskiver
(ebelskilver) pan. The result is a round pancake ball filled
with bite of apple, or a bit of jam or fruit compote. Change
up the spices in the batter and you have a different creation.
These are great fun to make, serve and eat for a holiday breakfast
or brunch!
We could go on, and on: Lebkuchen, Pfeffer
Nusse, Biscotti, Kolaczki, Pepparkakor, Bizcochitos, Chrusti,
Polvorones, Cumiri, and so many
more!
|
Coming Together over
Cookies
|
The best
tradition around cookies is the camaraderie found when making them
together and sharing with others. It's the perfect activity
for spending quality time with another.
 Schedule a Cookie Decorating Party
- Decorating cookies is a soothing - nearly meditative - process
that provides a great outlet for artistic urges. Some do-ahead
preparation will make the time relaxing and fun:
- Mix, chill, roll, cut and bake at least some of the rolled
cookies ahead of time. Have the blank shapes ready for
frosting.
- Mix the base frosting. Mix some of the basic colors, but
allow participants to custom color their own "paint."
- Have several different frosting applicators available - some
basic tips, squeeze bottles, toothpicks, and small frosting
spatulas.
- Use plenty of wax paper underneath the racks
- Plan ahead for containers that will carry the precious, drying
cargo home
Host a
Cookie Exchange - This cookie
activity is one of our favorites because we always learn something
new, and find a new favorite to add to our compendium of personal
cookie traditions. To host a successful cookie exchange,
consider the following suggestions:
- Choose a few willing participants - more than ten persons, and
it becomes unwieldy
- Identify guidelines for each participant - print or e-mail a
copy to each participant
- Consider a theme for the cookies - per
 haps "Around the World"
- Suggest the quantities of each cookie (1 dozen for 10
participants is appropriate)
- Note that cookies should be packaged for transporting home
- You may wish to publish via e-mail the developing sign-up list
with names and recipes noted. This will avoid potential
duplication, or too many cookies of one type or another. (Or
if you're a control freak, assign the recipes!).
- Include in the instructions that copies of the recipe should
be brought to the exchange
- Identify the date and time of the official exchange
- Make a party of the exchange moment if you like, or if your
goal is to save holiday time; exchange "on the fly."
- Enjoy using the vast variety of cookies you've inherited at
multiple holiday events
 Take a Personal Cookie
Day - One of our
favorite customers tells of the Personal Day that she takes for
herself each year just for cookie making! She advises that the
day be strictly kept for cookie pleasures and not redirected by last
minute urgencies. She enjoys planning the recipes and
accomplishing the grocery shopping ahead of time, then fires up the
mixer and the oven for a delightful day in the kitchen.
Revive the Cookie Plate for
Neighbors - The days of receiving a plate of cookies from the
neighbors seems to have fallen by the wayside in our busy lives and
in our anonymous neighborhoods. Revive the tradition of the
Neighbor Cookie Plate and reconnect with those that share your
community.
|
A Baker's Dozen of Cookie Making
Tips
|
Tip #1: Making your kitchen
friendly for cookie making increases the enjoyment. Some
basic equipment that will assist every cookie maker this year and
years to come include:
- Insulated cookie sheets - at least two
- Silicone baking liners - at least two
- Thin-bladed cookie spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rolling pin
- Jelly roll pan - half and/or quarter sheet size
- Two cooling racks - grid-style
- Electric Mixer - hand or stand
Tip
#2: Most
cookies begin with mixing butter and sugar together. The
butter is often beaten first to a lighter color to incorporate a bit
of air into the batter. Begin with butter that is at room
temperature to make the mixing process possible. If you've
neglected to set the butter out to warm, you may soften the butter
in the microwave for 10 seconds on the defrost cycle.
Tip #3: Budget
Savvy! - Do we need to say this? Avoid pre-mixed
cookie dough. It's less expensive to make your own, contains
no mysterious ingredients, and will taste INFINITELY better!
Tip #4: Use "pure extracts"
to flavor your cookies. The true flavors will make a huge
difference in the taste of your cookies. Vanilla is one of the
most frequent flavorings; we recommend Nielsen-Massey vanilla,
available here at the store. You'll find this vanilla full of
flavor and aroma, and of a reliable character.
Tip #5: To make cookies the
same size, use a kitchen scale to weigh each chunk of cookie
dough. Cookies that are similar in size will bake evenly and
look professional on the plate.
 Tip
#6: When making rolled cookies, it can sometimes be a
challenge to get the dough an even thickness. We found rolling
pin rings a clever solution to getting the dough thickness even and
at the correct depth.
Tip
#7: For thin, rolled cookies, roll the dough on top of
parchment paper, cut the shapes and remove the excess dough from
around the shapes. Transfer the parchment to the baking
sheet. This method avoids the pitfalls of transferring the cut
shapes. A piece of parchment paper may typically be used a couple of
times prior to discarding.
 Tip #8: When frosting rolled
cookies, or applying a glaze, place a cooling rack that has a grid
pattern inside of a jelly roll pan. The rack will allow the frosting
to dry along the bottom edges more quickly, and the jelly roll pan
will provide sturdiness when moved around the kitchen.
Tip #9: To frost rolled
cookies, outline the edges of the cookie with the desired color with
a #2 writing tip. Allow the outline to dry slightly, (i.e.,
outline a half dozen more cookies), then flood the outlined areas of
the cookie with the same color frosting. The frosting will
stay on top of the cookie and produce a neat
appearance.
Tip
#10: To get decorations to stick to the cookie,
generally apply prior to baking. If the dough is a dry, stiff
dough, you may wish to lightly brush heavy cream or an egg wash to
the surface of the cookie, then add the sanding sugar or other
decorations.
Tip #11: Budget
Savvy! - Skip the tubes of pre-made frosting.
You can make it less expensively yourself, and without
preservatives!
Tip
#12: Time is of the essence! Many cookie doughs
require some chilling prior to forming and baking. Use this
chilling time as a natural interlude. Mix the dough on one
day; bake on the next day. If the dough is too stiff, or too
chilled, allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to
using.
Tip #13:
Need to delegate some of your holiday baking? Gift a cookie
kit! It's the next best thing to baking cookies for
giving. Assemble key ingredients, and tie them up with a
ribbon festooned with a favorite cookie cutter. Your gift will
be an inspiration!
|
Q & A
|
 Q: Is it ok to substitute margarine
for butter?
A: Functionally, margarine
works the same as butter in most recipes. However, there's no
comparison in the taste outcome. Real butter is a magical, key
ingredient in most cookie-making.  We've lost track of who said it, but we agree
with the sentiment: "I trust cows more than chemists!"
Q: What's the best way to measure
flour?
A:
First of all, make sure you have accurate measuring cups and
spoons. You'd be amazed at the difference in volume amongst
measuring sets. Secondly, the proper method for measuring
flour is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then scrape the
excess from the top with a knife or spatula to get a level cup or
spoon. Dipping a measuring cup in the flour canister, or
shaking a measuring cup will compact the flour adding as much as 25%
too much to the recipe.
Q: What's the best way to measure
sugar?
A: Sugar, unlike flour,
does not compact as easily and may be scooped or poured. Like
flour, measurements of sugar should be leveled with a knife or
spatula.  Brown sugar, moister than white sugar, is
measured by firmly packing the measuring cup full of the sugar.
Q: What are
sanding sugars?
A: Sanding sugars are
specialty sugars designed for decorating your cookie or cake
creations. The granules of sugar are larger than granulated
sugar, and are available in many brilliant colors. We like to
think of them as "food glitter!" Shiny and jewel-like, the
sanding sugars definitely catch the eye's
attention. |
Cookbook
Review
|
Great Cookies,
Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter. Published by
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York, New York. Copyright
2003.
 After our initial session with this cookbook, we
understood why it received both the James Beard Cookbook
Award, and The International
Association Culinary Professional (IACP) Cookbook
Award. The book opens with a classic oatmeal raisin
cookie recipe, then explores every other conceivable cookie from
rolled sugar cookies, to ethnic sweets, bars, biscotti, meringues
and macaroons. This encyclopedic collection of cookies is both
reference and aesthetic inspiration with beautiful photographs
accompanying nearly every recipe. In the process of gaining
fantastic cookie recipes, we learn the how, why, and techniques
behind making great cookies. We particularly enjoyed how the
recipes were presented - a colorful introduction, an overview list
(including pan required, pan preparation required, oven temperature,
mixing time, chilling time, baking time and a degree of difficulty),
ingredients, and clear instructions with key hints built in.
Each recipe is concluded with storage recommendations, shelf life
and traveling ability. This is the type of book that becomes
the first one off the shelf whenever there is a cookie craving or a
cookie
question! |
Cookie Recipes
|
This week's
recipes were chosen for a couple of reasons - they present an ethnic
tradition, and they are incredibly easy and fast to make. We
think you'll enjoy incorporating these recipes into this year's
cookie tradition!
Recipes
excerpted from Great Cookies,
Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter. Published by
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York, NY. Copyright 2003. Reprinted
with permission. All rights reserved.
Raspberry
Linzer Bars
 If you yearn for Vienna and all its
cache, these linzer bars will satisfy you for a bit. Whether a
linzer torte, or a linzer sable, the "linzer" taste is characterized
by a buttery sweet dough flavored with cinnamon and garnished with
raspberry jam in some way. This interpretation of a linzer
cookie offers the requisite cinnamon and raspberry components in a
quick and easy bar method. The deep red centers look dynamite
on a holiday cookie plate. Put on the Mozart, brew a cup of coffee
and savor these linzer bars!
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the recipe (PDF format).
Florentines
 One of our seasonal favorites from
Italy, is this cookie that offers the speed and ease of a bar
cookie, but with an elegance and uniqueness that says "holiday
special." A very thin shortbread crust provides the base for a
caramel topping studded with bright red glacé cherries and candied
orange and lemon peel. The finished bars are drizzled with a
filigree of dark chocolate. The result is a chewy morsel with
holiday sparkle. Michelangelo would be quite
impressed!
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the recipe (PDF format).
Janhagels
 If there is a list of "comfort flavors,"
certainly the combo of cinnamon and sugar would be on that
list! These traditional Dutch cookies are also on the list of
easy and quick, but uniquely different. Inspired by almonds in
the crust and on top, the dough comes together quickly, and is
topped with sliced almonds and a generous dose of cinnamon and
sugar. The finished pan is cut into decorative diamonds
disguising its humble "bar" origins.
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the recipe (PDF
format).
| |
Does Santa eat all of the gazillion
cookies lovingly set out for him on Christmas Eve? Will
Santa leave gifts if no cookies are found? Are
"store-bought" cookies an adequate offering for Santa? These
are just some of the cookie conundrums that plague us this
time of year! These questions may be unanswerable, but
remain part of the pantheon of holiday cookie traditions. In
this issue we'll explore some ethnic cookie traditions, offer
ideas for creating a tradition out of cookie making, and
present some top tips for achieving great cookie
results. We finish with three ethnic cookie recipes,
